Allianz Asset Management GmbH Has $5.06 Million Stock Position in Central Garden & Pet Company $CENT

Allianz Asset Management GmbH trimmed its position in Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENT) by 2.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 143,834 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,012 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $5,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CENT. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth $33,000. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 222.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Simplex Trading LLC lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 136.2% in the first quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 2,048 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 13.7% in the first quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the first quarter worth $255,000. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

NASDAQ:CENT opened at $31.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.56 and a quick ratio of 2.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $34.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.49. Central Garden & Pet Company has a one year low of $28.77 and a one year high of $43.88.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $960.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.44% and a return on equity of 10.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total value of $114,065.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,194,219.52. The trade was a 4.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total transaction of $100,216.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,427 shares in the company, valued at $46,491.66. This trade represents a 68.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on CENT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Central Garden & Pet in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish, and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.